


Rattle and Burn

by thewoodwork



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Coming Out, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Minor Angst, Minor panic attack, Mostly introspection, Not much to this, Paparazzi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 22:18:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2828042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewoodwork/pseuds/thewoodwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was supposed to be a small gathering, a few photographers to get the pictures that the rags so desperately wanted. They didn't expect to be ambushed the moment they touched down.</p>
<p>[Harry and Louis arrive back in London for the first time since they announced their relationship]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rattle and Burn

**Author's Note:**

> Very short, mostly introspection on Louis' part. It ends happy and fluffy, I promise. There's only a couple hundred words of panic/angst.

They arrive back in London to a flurry of flashing lights and a dull roar. The crowds are bigger than ever and the noise leave a dull ringing in his ears that he can’t shake out. Louis feels something stir beneath his skin is he moves to shield his eyes from the alarming number of flashes. His stomach tightens even further, his breaths coming in short panicked gasps that did nothing to calm the turmoil he was feeling in his chest. He feels that he might be sick if it weren’t for his fierce determination to put on a strong front as he stands there with the mutual cause of all the chaos.

It was supposed to be a small gathering, a few photographers to get the pictures that the rags so desperately wanted. They didn’t expect to be ambushed the moment they touched down.

Louis puts on a tight smile, knowing that all the papers would be writing about is how _unhappy_ the newly announced couple looked. _Trouble in paradise already?_ As if they didn’t know.

He can feel Harry moving behind him, talking to the handlers that had agreed to meet them at the airport. Louis can barely hear the harsh words being exchanged but he doesn’t need to. _Betrayed_ by their own team.

“Have fun _hiding_ in Paris, boys?” One of the photographers yells out, making exaggerated thrusting movements as he had his finger over the trigger of his camera – just waiting for their reaction.

Louis didn’t give him the time of day, turning to seek out Harry’s reassurances instead.

However, Harry wasn’t there like he’d been expecting; instead, Harry is on the phone, glaring holes into the ground. “What do you mean word got out? You _control_ for these kinds of things – we know you do!”

Louis can hardly breathe, so he turns so that his back is facing the crowd as he fumbles with his own phone. He’s had it turned off for the majority of their trip, Harry had refused to let him anywhere near Twitter and it was probably a good thing. Louis probably doesn’t want to know what they’re saying about the two of them right now.

_Beards._

_Liars._

_Gay boybanders come out of the closet._

Louis can only imagine – knowing that a lot of the responses will be far from kind and supportive. They’d been lying for five years after all.

So instead of looking at their phones, they’d spent their trip together in peace – knowing that the moment they got back to London they’d be back to chaotic schedules with no time for themselves. They still hadn’t been expecting to come back to _this._

His hands twitch over his phone, fumbling over the lock screen as it pops to life. It’s a recent picture of the two of them in Paris; the two of them are at a café that they’d found, an out of the way establishment that Harry had raved about for days before finally dragging Louis there just before they were due home. The picture was taken by someone who worked at the café who had been kind enough to stop doing their work to help them. They were cuddled up on a couch that faced the street with tea rested on their laps as they bit into pastries that ended up half on the floor by the time they were done.

-

_“Babe, let’s get a picture!” Harry says, oblivious to the flakes the pastry he’d just eaten had left behind on his face._

_Louis laughs, moving to brush away the evidence and capture Harry’s lips in his own. They’re sweet, with the taste of chocolate lingering on them. He draws away, laughing again at the pout on Harry’s face. “You’ve got stuff all over your face, love.”_

_Harry grins, rubbing his face up against Louis’ to brush away the crumbs._

_“Ah, gross!” Louis crows, squirming away from him. “Don’t get your flakes all over me.”_

_“You_ looovee _my flakes.”_   _Harry says, brushing the crumbs that had managed to transfer to Louis off of his chest_

_“Yeah, yeah. Alright, let’s get your dumb picture.” Louis says, turning to grab Harry’s phone from the arm of the couch._

_Harry goes to grab it, but Louis keeps it away from him. “You’re awful at selfies, let’s get someone to take it for us.”_

_Harry lights up, nodding quickly. “Yeah, we can do that now.”_

_Smiling softly, Louis gets up to find one of the kind waitresses who’d been tending to them earlier. She looks happy to help, following Louis back to their couch._

_They end up taking a few pictures, all of them as gross and coupley as the ones before. “Perfect, thank you, Love.” Louis smiles. He thumbs through the pictures, taking time to send one of them to his mom and himself. On his own phone he sets it up as the lock screen, watching as Harry’s eyes light up in excitement as he does._

_“I want to do that too,” Harry says._

_“Then do it, you big lump.” Louis laughs as Harry wiggles further into his side. “Pick your favourite.”_

_Harry ends up picking one that Louis had ignored because he had been blocking Harry’s face. Harry loved it though, as the expression on Louis’ face could only be interpreted as fond and loving._

_“Love you, Lou” Harry says, grin breaking through his otherwise serious expression._

_“I love you, Haz.” Louis says, capturing Harry’s lips in his own as they end up smiling and laughing into each other’s mouths more than they actual kiss that day._

_-_

Having it on his lock screen was just a reminder as to how things were suddenly changing. Only a few weeks ago he was still using generic lock screens of the band or his family that weren’t too incriminating, saving the grossly adorable pictures of him and Harry for when the passcode was entered correctly. Seeing it now only added to the panic building in Louis’ chest.

“Babe,” Harry says, drawing Louis out of his reverie. “They’re bringing a car around, we’ve got to…” Harry grimaces, glancing towards the crowd of paps. “We’ve got to get through _them_ to get there.”

Louis nods, his eyes glazing over as he looks back to the wall of cameras. The flashes are still going off, gaining frequency as Harry slides up beside him.

“How do you want to do this, Lou?” Harry _always,_ without fail, looks to Louis in these situations. If Harry had had his way back in 2010 they would have been out and proud from the word go – but he didn’t and so here they were in 2015, five years later and ready to face the lights. Or so Louis had thought. He thought he’d been ready, but seeing all the cameras here today was overwhelming and Louis just wanted out. He wanted to run and never return.

He couldn’t do that to Harry though, he could never do that to Harry.

Louis makes the first move, reaching out to grab Harry’s hand with his own, intertwining their fingers. His grip is a bit tight but he doesn’t think Harry will mind. Their clasped hands are still hidden from most cameras, fit snug between their bodies, but the look that Harry gave him is worth every fear that has built up inside him.

Louis works at taking a long deep breath, trying to match Harry’s own breathing.

_In_ for two.

_Out_ for two.

_In for three._

_Out for three._

_In for five._

_Out for five._

Louis is able to breathe again.

“You okay, babe?” Harry is asking, brushing his thumb over Louis’ knuckles.

Louis smiles then, a real smile that breaks through all of the fear and panic that had caused his stomach to be rolling only minutes earlier. “Been better,” He admits. “But I’ll be okay as long as you’re here.”

Louis wants to do nothing more than to get back on that plane to hide away from the world for another week or two but when he sees Harry smile it all dissipates. Harry wants this more than anything in the world and who is Louis to deny that from him any longer? He’s already been waiting 5 years for this moment.

So Louis shakes out his fringe before he leans up to kiss Harry quickly on the lips. He lets it linger for a moment, ignoring the new wall of sound that erupts behind him, before spinning to lead them down the corridor. Their hands are clasped between them still, in full sight of every single camera in the place.

Louis keeps them moving quickly for a few moments before turning back to look at Harry. What he sees makes him laugh and his heart flutter, because Harry is staring at him with the most bewildered, happy look on his face that Louis has ever seen. His eyes begin to water, though he’d deny that to anyone except Harry later, and he tightens his hold on Harry’s hand.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if it feels rushed - Thank you for reading <3 Please let me know what you thought/leave kudos if it's worthy.


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